A Bronx principal was accused of creating a hostile environment for Black faculty and students. Now, she's alleging that she's the victim of racism.

The Root reports former Intermediate School 224 (IS 224) principal Patricia Catania is filing a lawsuit against eight of her former teachers at IS 224 citing, you guessed it: racism. Catania claimed she was being retaliated against for what she claimed was mere vocalization of her disdain of incompetent teachers on staff at the predominantly Black school.

But the teachers tell a different story.

In February of 2018, Catania allegedly banned Black History Month celebrations.

Mercedes Liriano, 45, an English teacher who has taught at the school for over 10 years, said the principal questioned why she was teaching Black history.

"She said I’m not a social studies teacher so why am I teaching my students about black history?” Liriano said. “Her tone was very harsh, as if I committed a heinous crime." Liriano also told The Daily News last February, "She's racist, she's trying to stop us from teaching our students about their own culture, and she's denying them the right to learn about where they came from."

Liriano was one of eight teachers and five students who'd told The Daily News about the principal.

In addition to essentially telling a teacher not to teach, Catania also took a student's poster of famed Black singer Lena Horne, which the child created in honor of the celebratory month. She claimed she took the project because it utilized staples.

Catania also allegedly stated Black instructors weren't competent.

"All the Black teachers are only good for disciplining the kids. They’re not bright or effective teachers," Catania reportedly said.

Black teachers were repeatedly given negative evaluations and work reviews, and Catania encouraged additional employees to follow suit. In another incident, one Black teacher's belongings were thrown out of her classroom and her items were stored in garbage bags without any explanation as to why.

In the lawsuit, Catania claims that she was being pushed out of the school in an effort to have her replaced with a Black principal. The suit refers to the backlash against her questionable leadership as a "campaign."

Catania was eventually transferred to the Health Opportunities High School where she now serves as the assistant principal, a position she began in the fall. She purportedly earns $132,337, a nearly $30,000 decrease from her previous position.

The New York Department of Education is still investigating Catania's case.

Another case of a racist school administrator being called to task is that of Patricia Cummings, a teacher at Middle School 118 in the Bronx. She was removed from her classroom on February 1 when she forced students to lie on the ground as she stepped on them during a lesson on slavery.

Patricia Catania

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